Reflections on a week in my life.

Mike has had, has a bad cold. He has been sleeping in a spare bed so I dont get disturbed or infected, while he coughs sneezes and wanders around in the middle of the night looking for paracetemol. I could get used to this! Him in in a spare bed I mean.

He still managed the marathon of cooking breakfasts for four golfers and the man who is with us for sometime, having started a new job and looking for somewhere to live permanently. All 5 had something different for breakfast. All I am allowed to do is prepare the baked beans, the only time we use a microwave.

I am struggling with all the cleaning, washing and ironing. They all departed this morning and we have two couples in tomorrow night, so ok a night off, but the days are still spent ironing etc. All three rooms to strip and re-set up. Also as there were 5 for breakfast I have had to get up and serve it. Mrs Overall has nothing on me.

Yesterday we had a visit from a lady who is considering offering b&b. I did consider charging a fee for my advice as it took two hours and a tour round the establishment here and an offer to tour round her establishment (mainly as I am nosy.) When I described her as a lady, she really was, and name dropped like nobody's business. Related to half the aristocracy of Scotland, including the ones who owned the house in which I was told not to drop red wine on the carpet, you may remember, back in December.

Halfway through this session a chap turned up on the doorstep - from New Zealand - who was convinced his ancestors were born here. When we checked the dates the house hadn't even been built when his ancestors left for New Zealand. But he still took up a good deal of my time and took a lot of photographs of the house. All the time I am telling him where the house is that he is looking for. He kept saying that he had been here before, years ago, and was sure this was it as it had a conservatory......well no, it has a small porch, which no-one would describe as a conservatory and the house I believed he was actually looking for did have two conservatories and was called Mill Croft, which was what he was looking for, and was just up the road. Hope he eventually got there. Some people will NOT be told. At least he wasnt bearing the ashes of the ancestors to scatter in the garden, which has happened before.........

You may remember all my angst about being inundated with cats. Seems to have been sorted and I do hope there is a happy ending.

Well, you cant win can you. This strange cat has suddenly appeared. From the shape of its head it is an unneutered male, black and white. Observed all over the garden, face to face with one or the other of our cats. Who are not all that careful at shutting the cat door behind them. So when we found the chocolate muffins on the table half eaten and then a clatter of cat dishes and then a crash as it shot out of the cat door we knew we were about to be invaded - again. Bit of an explanation, you can only come into the house if you have a magnet on your collar. If you slide through the opening very gently you can leave the door not - quite - locked up again. So in can come an intruder. Going out is easy as you dont need a magnet.

So as the sun sets on another mad week at Greenbrae I sip my wine and watch the sun set.